


paint your fears away

by okaypottah



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Divergence, Draco Malfoy Needs a Hug, Drarry, Hurt and comfort, M/M, Sad Draco Malfoy, draco x harry - Freeform, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-25 15:07:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17727530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/okaypottah/pseuds/okaypottah
Summary: Draco’s breakdown in the bathroom makes Harry follow him to the secluded part of Hogwarts later that night and the actions that follow make him see the Slytherin in a completely different light.





	paint your fears away

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by[ this ](https://no-point-but-cynicism.tumblr.com/post/182512473468/dracos-an-artsy-guy-right) artwork by _no-point-but-cynicism_ on tumblr and a continuation to the lovely _dracolovesharryfightme_ 's fic which can be read [ here](https://dracolovesharryfightme.tumblr.com/post/182705700057/tell-me-i-might-be-able-to-help)

Ron's snores fill the silence of their dormitory and along with Neville's sleepy mumbling. Harry shifts for what seemed like the hundredth time so that he's lying on his back and stares above, only one thought running through his mind.

Malfoy.

Malfoy and the bloody _Dark Mark_.

He's almost tempted to shove it in Ron and Hermione's faces, "see I was right about the evil git being upto something!" but then the image of Draco, _crying_ , flashes in front of his eyes and his heart lurches. He's never been more wrong; Malfoy's a prat, but he's _not_ evil.

Restless from his thoughts, he sits up, puts on his glasses and slips out of his bed. Crouching just beside it, he pulls out one of his most prized possessions- the Marauders' Map, from his trunk and after a quick muttering of the phrase, the Map becomes littered with a huge number of stationary (almost, anyway) dots, but he had eyes only for one name.

He frowns when he can't spot Malfoy in the Slytherin dorms, but begins skimming through other places he might be. A few minutes pass, and just as Harry's about to give up, he spots it and frowns again.

"Eighth floor?" He mutters under his breath. He'd never been to that corner, but if Malfoy's there ..

Making up his mind, Harry slips on his slippers, grabs his Invisibility Cloak and the Map and slips out of the dorm altogether. It takes a bit more than ten minutes for him to actually reach the place because he'd almost run into Filch three times, all because he was intent on making sure Malfoy wouldn't disappear before he reached him.

Harry comes to a stop right outside a door that looks the same as any classroom door. Casting a quick _Alohamora_ , he wraps his Cloak more securely around him and twisting the knob, pushes the door open.

The door opens with a creak, making Harry wince, _surely, Malfoy's not deaf_ but there's no wands pointed at his neck so he feels it safe enough and takes a step in. There's no desks in the room, only one pressed to the right wall and when Harry steps in fully, he spots the Slytherin right away.

With his back turned to him and still dressed in the school robes he saw him dressed in the bathroom, Malfoy stands, slightly bent at the knees as his elbow moves with sharp, quick flicks. As surprising as it was, Malfoy appeared to be _painting_ although his frame prevented Harry from seeing what exactly he was painting.

Harry, under his Cloak, steps forward, the footboard creaking loudly under his slipper-clad feet, and he clutches his wand, expecting a hex. When Malfoy just bends his head down further, whispering furiously under his breath, Harry lets out a quiet sigh of relief.

He strains his ears to catch what the blonde's saying, leaning forward so he's just a bit more than an arm's length away. Draco's blonde hair looks soft and shiny this close and Harry has the sudden urge to run his fingers through the locks which should be a terrifying though but Harry's long since come to terms with the fact that, however much he denies it, Draco is one attractive git. His eyes flutter involuntarily when the smell of vanilla and lavender invades his senses, however, they snap open when he can make out the words.

"He's gonna kill you," Malfoy's whispering, voice hoarse, "Merlin, he's gonna kill you and I'm gonna have a hand in it."

He puts down the brush and the palate, all the greens, creme, and brown mixing together in the middle to one ugly color, on a tall three-legged stool and Harry, while remaining in the same spot, leans slightly to the right to see what he's doing and - oh.

 _Oh_.

Staring back is a portrait of _Harry himself_ , and Harry feels like he's looking into a mirror. Everything, from the arch of his brow, the angle of his scar, the slope of his nose, looks the exact same and Harry really can't help the gasp that escapes his lips.

This time though, Draco whips around, wand in hand, and in a haste to avoid being bumped into, Harry hastily stumbles to the side and the Cloak is thrown off of him. Grey eyes scanning the room widen as they take in Harry's sudden appearance and Harry has just a brief second to think _wow Draco has really pretty eyes_ , before the said eyes glare at him.

" _Potter_?" Harry stares as he takes in his face; Draco's eyes are slightly red and there's teartracks on his cheeks. Then, his glare drops and he looks panicked, eyes shifting between Harry and the portrait-Harry. He sighs, digging the heel of his palm into his eye. "Of course. Of course, it _has_ to be you. How long have you been here?"

"Long enough." Harry stands to his full height, turning his gaze to the portrait. "Hm, how is it that you have every detail of me down?"

"I'm very observant." Draco answers, before hesitantly adding, "I believe you have other questions to ask."

"Yeah, I do," Harry watches Draco tense from the corner of his eye, "Do my brows really look like that?"

Silence, and then. "Potter."

"Is that all you're gonna do to the eyes? I like to think they're greener than t-"

"Stop," Draco's voice is harsh, "You should leave. Before I hex you." When Harry remains rooted to his place, Draco whips out his wand and points it directly at Harry. "I said, leave."

Unfazed, Harry steps forward, the tip of the wand digging into the skin below his chin. "I don't think I will. Will you hex me, Draco?"

Draco's hand is shaking. "I will. Of course I will-"

"Of course you will." Harry repeats, nodding before turning his gaze to the portrait. "You draw the people you hex. Of course."

"That's-That's not relevant." The wand hand drops to his side and he fixates his gaze to the floor. His voice is pleading when he asks, "Please go away."

Harry takes another steps forward and throws his arms around the startled blonde, wrapping him in a firm hug and not budging when the blonde tries to squirm out of the embrace. "Just relax, Draco."

Draco struggles further but gives up and sags against Harry's body, burying his face into Harry's neck. Harry can feel wetness on his skin and he runs a hand up and down his back, whispering sweet nothings in his ear as Draco begins crying silently.

"Shh, it's okay. Everything's gonna be okay."

"No," he hears the muffled reply. "No, it's not. He's gonna- He's gonna-"

"He's not." He interrupts before sighing, "But if he does, I want you to know that it's not your fault. Okay?"

"It is." Draco pulls away and digs his fingers into his left forearm where, as Harry now knows, the Mark is etched into his skin. His grey eyes are frantic when they look into Harry's green ones. "But I didn't have a choice. You have to know. He- He was going to kill my family. I had to take it or he was gonna kill them."

"Just calm down, love." The endearment slips out without thinking. "Look at me." He places his fingers under the pointed chin and tilts his head up as they're staring directly into the grey eyes. Up close, he can see the specks of silver in the grey and can count the blonde lashes framing his eyes.

"You can't let him win." Draco's hand comes up to hold Harry's wrist, and there's tears forming in the corners of his eyes,"You can let him kill you, Harry. Please."

The use of his first name and their close proximity makes Draco's lips look extremely inviting and before he can think, he's leaning forward and pressing their mouths together. He hears Draco let out a small gasp as he runs his tongue over the lips and as he makes to pull away, Draco throws his hands around his neck and pulls him forward, returning the kiss with equal urgency and desperation.

Harry's hands wander over his body before he come to rest on his hips, thumbs running over the jutting hipbones. Draco's hands run through his hair, tugging the roots and making him let out a groan. They're both panting when they pull away, lips red and sweat-slicked.

"Promise me. Promise me you'll make it, Harry."

Harry looks at Draco, who looks at him with pleading eyes, voice desperate to hear the reassurance. When seconds tick by without a response, Draco squeezes his eyes shut and exhales sharply, turning his head away. 

One of Harry’s hands shoots up to his cheek, his green eyes search for the grey eyes; he looks on the verge of tears again. “What can I do to help?” No response. “Draco, tell me, what do you want?” 

In a small voice, Draco replies. “I just want you.” 

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments are appreciated! 
> 
> say hi on [ tumblr](https://okaypottah.tumblr.com/)


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